Two education events for #ShadowOfStalin

Rehearsals resumed yesterday for our #ShadowOfStalin concert, and we have two special education events coming up in connection with it.

Crack the DSCH code!

On Sunday 13th October from 1200 til 1300 at the John Madejski Academy (Hartland Road entrance), members of APO’s free fan club for 5-15 year olds, APO Young, will gather for an interactive session learning about how Shostakovich used musical code for his name in the Tenth Symphony. As usual, members will have the chance to have a go on the various instruments of the orchestra, and there are rumours of cake being available!

All children are welcome, and new members of APO Young can be registered on the day. Both APO Young membership and the event are free!

To register for the event, click here.

To sign up for APO Young, click here. (You can also do this at the event, if you prefer.)

Casting Stalin’s shadow

On the day of the concert, Saturday 19th October, from 1615 til 1700 we’ll be opening up our general rehearsal for another free event. It’ll be suitable for all ages, but particularly relevant for Key Stage 3 students (of both music and history!).

You’ll be able to see how we prepare for the concert in the evening (the pressure is on by this stage!), but moreover we’ll play specific extracts from Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony which depict the terror of Stalin. This will include the ferocious Scherzo, as featured in the BBC Ten Pieces project.

Again, the event is free, but if you help us by registering we’ll send you details of a special discount offer we’ve had from Zizzi’s restaurant on London Road. You can come to the event, pop down to Zizzi’s for a pre-concert meal, then come back to the hall to enjoy our fantastic #ShadowOfStalin programme (tickets for under 18s are just £10, and if you’re aged 5-15 you can join APO Young – see above – and get a ticket for just £5!).

Here’s the form to register.

And here’s the link to book tickets for concerts in the evening.